Thursday, March 31, 2016

City of Gold film review

The documentary City of Gold is very much a love letter to the culture, the cuisine and the spirit of Los Angeles. It follows the career and life of the Pulitzer prize winning writer Jonathan Gold. Gold writes about food, but food is just a lens through which he sees the world and perhaps most importantly, the people in it. While the food in this film is tantalizing, it's the stories from the restaurateurs and even street food vendors that are particularly compelling. These are the stories that Jonathan Gold tells.

Every city ought to have a Jonathan Gold. By that I mean someone who has an uncanny sense of finding great food, is a marvelous writer and is truly passionate about his home turf. Gold, the longtime food critic first with the LA Weekly and now with the LA Times, explores, discovers and importantly, does his homework to learn about various cuisines before writing about them. He's also as democratic an eater as ever, happily eating hot dogs and tacos from carts one day and dining in restaurants with celebrity chefs the next.

The film serves not only as a profile of Gold but also as an introduction to the sprawling diversity that is Los Angeles. It's no surprise that much of the film takes place in Gold's truck as he drives from one part of town to another. No question it will make you want to dine in LA, but hopefully will also inspire you to dig deeper in your neck of the woods. It's a truly wonderful film and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Check online for local screenings of City of Gold.